Gateway Men's Chorus sings out

Clarke chopped down his corona afro and found his forte: scoring films. His tasteful contributions to the soundtracks for such movies as Boyz N the Hood have made him as sought-after as ever. Now, after a decade without a studio album, Clarke has released 1, 2 to the Bass. His run of string-pops in the title track is sweet, but other tunes on the CD are as comatose-mellow as the pap played by the "smooth jazz" radio station sponsoring Clarke's 8 p.m. concert at the Pageant (6161 Delmar Boulevard, $19.50, 314-421-4400). -- Byron Kerman